while listening to this album, I felt something that I want to feel while listening to any album. I felt like the music knew what it was doing. It felt like the music was a sad and old guy with a lantern, who led me through the dark forest of his thoughts, sometimes taking a road I wouldn't expect him to go on but always deserving my trust. You could just listen to this album and let thewhile listening to this album, I felt something that I want to feel while listening to any album. I felt like the music knew what it was doing. It felt like the music was a sad and old guy with a lantern, who led me through the dark forest of his thoughts, sometimes taking a road I wouldn't expect him to go on but always deserving my trust. You could just listen to this album and let the music take you on a gloomy, melancholic adventure. Although I get why there's comments about the overwhelming sadness of this record, there's no point in denying the writing skills and the noticeable musical talent the antlers have.…Expand

It's hardly just a musical album. It's hardly just a story. It's hardly anything that you can put your finger on. It transcends those things, bringing you along with it, and grasps to pull everything up that you struggle so hard to keep down. Not only does it make you feel emotions you thought were long lost, it makes you -want- to feel them. There are times where you forget you're evenIt's hardly just a musical album. It's hardly just a story. It's hardly anything that you can put your finger on. It transcends those things, bringing you along with it, and grasps to pull everything up that you struggle so hard to keep down. Not only does it make you feel emotions you thought were long lost, it makes you -want- to feel them. There are times where you forget you're even listening to music, that these are guitars, drums, keyboards, and people making this music and telling you this story. The cleverness behind the two-sided lyrics tells you two stories at once, and once you hit the ending, you'll want more of both.…Expand

A band tends to have a hook on your deepest emotions and memories when they know how to restrain from doing too much. This causes you to connect the dots. This album is a drug. It never gives you enough, in the best way possible. This being said, multiple listens are a must. You will be forced to remember the last time you were truly sad and there was nothing you could do about it. YouA band tends to have a hook on your deepest emotions and memories when they know how to restrain from doing too much. This causes you to connect the dots. This album is a drug. It never gives you enough, in the best way possible. This being said, multiple listens are a must. You will be forced to remember the last time you were truly sad and there was nothing you could do about it. You will become filled with an emotion that seems foreign, yet familiar. In a sense, this album forces you to remember the lowest points of your life that maybe you've forgotten about, due to convenience. It seems to go back to your past, find you at your most fragile and vulnerable state, and the album tells you "it's ok."…Expand

It's more than a bunch of songs; it's a complete work of art, a story, a life, a new and aural experience. Few albums had such impact in my life so as to change it significantly: Hospice is one of them. It's simply magic.

It's amazing the significance than can be put into an album, and Hospice is the perfect example. It might not be the happiest thing you'll ever hear, but it's certainly worth listening, and arguably the best Antlers allbum there is.

Honestly... It's like sonic valium. I commend them for making a concept album in this day and age, and Peter Silberman can certainly write poetic lyrics, but the musical content is garbage. What disappoints me so much is that they've demonstrated that they're fairly capable musicians, yet somehow this happened. There are definitely moments of ingenuity, but otherwise there's a lot ofHonestly... It's like sonic valium. I commend them for making a concept album in this day and age, and Peter Silberman can certainly write poetic lyrics, but the musical content is garbage. What disappoints me so much is that they've demonstrated that they're fairly capable musicians, yet somehow this happened. There are definitely moments of ingenuity, but otherwise there's a lot of pointless noise. Their instrumental sections are in the same vein as Death Cab For Cutie, except not done even half as well and certainly not very cleverly.
Some of the songs are pretty nice, such as Bear, but overall they're far too droning and don't carry enough weight to make the ambiance worth it. Plus the production is TERRIBLE. Holy **** I CANNOT stress that enough. Whoever mixed/mastered it either had no idea what the **** they were doing, or let someone with really bad ideas dictate what they did. I understand that everyone has different ideas on what constitutes "good" especially when it comes to artistic merit (irrespective of commercial viability). But it's important to note that there's a fine line between being an artist of high-caliber and making garbage. The Antlers have yet to find that line.…Collapse

Haunting, harrowing, and beautiful. It's a stunning concept album that you need to listen to straight through to really appreciate. I've heard varying perspectives on the story it tells, but to me it's about an emotionally abusive relationship in which the narrator tries to hold on to his relationship with a girl struggling to deal with her own possibly trauma-induced emotions. This isHaunting, harrowing, and beautiful. It's a stunning concept album that you need to listen to straight through to really appreciate. I've heard varying perspectives on the story it tells, but to me it's about an emotionally abusive relationship in which the narrator tries to hold on to his relationship with a girl struggling to deal with her own possibly trauma-induced emotions. This is told through an allegory of a hospital worker in a cancer ward who falls in love with a patient whose imminent death is the catalyst for their tumultuous relationship. The two stories blend ethereally together, almost as if drifting in and out of consciously, while other heart-breaking metaphors bleed into the story. The content of the lyrics is intense and the gorgeous, electronic and folk-influenced music creates a dangerous atmosphere that will draw you fully into the words. The album has no "happy" or "light" songs. The first lyrics of the album (in the song "Kettering") are "I wish that I had known in that first minute we met, the unpayable debt that I'd owe you". If you've ever felt pain from a relationship in your life (whether romantic or not) you'll be able to relate to the feelings the narrator displays for us the panic and horror of trying to hold on to something you know won't last, the feeling that your entire being is tearing apart when it ends, and the fear that you may never be the same person again.

As a side note, it would definitely be helpful to follow along with the lyrics, because often, the narrator sometimes sings in undertones and the words often blend into the music to create that dream-like atmosphere. The downside is that you may miss a lot of the brilliantly poetic lyrics if you don't follow along.…Expand

This is easily one of the most emotional albums I've ever listened too. The concept of a girl with cancer and an abused relationship is so tightly wound up inside these lyrics that you can't help but become consumed with her, listening to each song eagerly awaiting what happens next. This album spoke to me on a way more personal level, and if that was The Antlers goal, they succeeded.This is easily one of the most emotional albums I've ever listened too. The concept of a girl with cancer and an abused relationship is so tightly wound up inside these lyrics that you can't help but become consumed with her, listening to each song eagerly awaiting what happens next. This album spoke to me on a way more personal level, and if that was The Antlers goal, they succeeded. "Bear" is easily the stand-out track on this LP. All In All, the lyrics on Hospice are gorgeous, the vocals extremely emotional, and the production very subtle, yet so good. A-…Expand

At times brilliant at times disjointed (quite likely on purpose). This record takes a bit of work to appreciate and enjoy. Very dark themes (as the title would suggest) mixed with some moments of joy. It's a record that does a good job of capturing the feeling of dealing with everything that comes with having a terminally ill relative. Not a record you'll have blaring in the car as you goAt times brilliant at times disjointed (quite likely on purpose). This record takes a bit of work to appreciate and enjoy. Very dark themes (as the title would suggest) mixed with some moments of joy. It's a record that does a good job of capturing the feeling of dealing with everything that comes with having a terminally ill relative. Not a record you'll have blaring in the car as you go to the beach on a sunny day or as your getting ready to hit the town at the weekend but if your looking for a challenging, emotive album then it's well worth a listen.…Expand

I heard about The Antlers, because a review had said they were similar to Arcade Fire, so I had to check them out. Turns out they have completely different styles, both of which I love. This album is absolutely stunning, and my favourite track has to be Kettering.

Song 1... Prologue... is the prologue
Song 2... Kettering... girl is in hospital because a guy beat her up with a bone... she's really sad and quiet but her nurse decides to take care of her because its his job
Song 3... Atrophy... he does surgery to take the bullets out of her body and puts them inside of himself... it makes him so sad that he givesbasically it goes like this

Song 1... Prologue... is the prologue

Song 2... Kettering... girl is in hospital because a guy beat her up with a bone... she's really sad and quiet but her nurse decides to take care of her because its his job

Song 3... Atrophy... he does surgery to take the bullets out of her body and puts them inside of himself... it makes him so sad that he gives her "a trophy" for making him so sad...

Song 4... Bear... while he is performing surgery he finds out that there is actually a live bear inside her stomach as well, he gets into an argument with the bear about whether they're too old or not old at all

Thirteen... while he is doing surgery there is a little woman inside where the bear was and it sings a song to him asking to pull her out also

Two... I dunno what this song is about really but i think he's talking about her past and then the doctor tells him he has to stop trying to help her because there is way too much **** inside her... the bear has grown angry and it breaks all the light bulbs and glass rains down from the ceiling...

Shiva... she takes off a ring and puts it on his finger and it turns him into Shiva, from the Final Fantasy series, but as he's transforming the "sensation is shivers" because he's ice elemental and it's real cold

Wake... spoiler alert... he wakes up and it was all a dream... but then a helicopter comes outside his window and she's inside of it but he ties the rope around his neck... and dies

Epilogue... they both die and they are buried together but they are still alive and she is screaming so much that he can't sleep…Expand

The union of his clearly and calm voice with the melodies and the history behind the lyrics just gets through all my senses!! After hearing 5 times in a road this album i love it more every time... simply one of this years best albums!!

One of the most powerful and tragic albums I have ever heard, it has this broad scope of melancholy emotions that just brings you to your knees. I think this has to be one of best albums of this decade.

This album really reaches in and delivers a personal experience that you will be willing to repeat. First listened to it while trying to sleep and kept listening for a whole week. The songs have this calm flow-like feeling so that you don't bother which track you're at while listening to the entire album and keepsyou wondering. My fav. album of 2009 til now.

On first listen I was only somewhat impressed with album. The real power is in the emotional delivery of the vocals and the weighty lyrics. Death, sickness and loss never felt so beautiful and cathartic. This is probably one of my favorites for the year and certainly has the emotional depth that is missing in most music today.

Heartbreaking. Some of the best lyrics I've heard in a while and one of the best albums I've heard this year. Highlights are Atrophy, Bear, Thirteen and Shiva. Gets better every time you listen to it, although first impressions aren't too bad, either.

It's quite a feat to make music that goes from subdued to grandiose without making it sound pretentious. this album is able to walk that line perfectly, drawing a surprisingly wide range of emotions out of the listener. if you like music of this genre, this is definitely one of the top albums of 2009.

This is a fantastic album. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Black Sheep Boy (or at least they both impacted me in a similar way). Right now I would say Dragonslayer is my album of the year, but this is easily second.